Marshall’s Fine Goals

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 20

Marshall’s Fine Goals

Two magnificent goals by its centre-forward, L Marshall, followed by unrelenting, often hectic defence in the second half, enabled Technical to win through to the semi - finals of the Chatham Cup soccer competition last night.

Technical finally scrambled to a 2-1 victory over Western in their postponed quarterfinal tie and qualified to meet Christchurch City on July 12. The other semi-final, on the same day. will be between New Brighton and University. Marshall virtually won the match for Technical, last year's national Chatham Cup finalist and present leader tn

the southern league, with his goals ill the fifteenth and fortieth minutes. The ; first followed an accurate corner kick by B. Wilkinson and Marshall went higher and with more purpose than all others to head the ball into the net. The second was a spectacular individual effort. Collecting the ball on the 18-yard line, Marshall flicked it over his head, turned, ran five yards, caught the ball on the top of his boot, brought it under control, and fired home a shot well outside the reach of the Western goal-keeper. But if Technical bad deserved its 2-0 lead at halftime. the team was probably a little lueky to be still ahead at the finish. Western, possibly realising that it could not match Technical at man-to-man skill, began to bustle

and hustle their opponents until it gained the initiative. Instead of Technical, on the strength of its lead, being able to dictate terms, the team suddenly found itself under Continuous pressure. Western reduced the deficit in the 75th minute when M. Smith scored from a goalmouth melee, and then chased hard for the oqutliser. Twice the Technical goalkeeper, W. Weir, bad to make good saves, but in the end Western was just unable to win a clear-cut scoring chance from a strong, but sometimes disorganised, Technical defence.

The close marking of L. Wilson on Technical’* most dangerous forward, Wilkinson, was a feature of the game: another was the clever use made of the ball by J. Langan in the mid-field for Western.